19th  CONGRESS 
1st  Session. 


C49] 


OF  THE 


GENERAL  ASSEMBLY  OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS, 


ON  THE 


Gimnitnition  of  »  Ganuli 


TO 


\!mte  five  Waters  of  Ii&ke  ^lichigan 

WITH 

THE  ILLINOIS  RIVER, 

/ 


February  23,  1826. 

Printed  by  order  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
- - - — - - - - - - — - - 


V'' 


WASHINGTON: 

I* HINTED  UT  GALES  &  SEATON. 


1826. 


3 


[49] 


\* 

MEMORIAL. 


>} 


MS 


O 


<0 


f- 


To  the  Honorable  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
Sta  tes  of  America  in  Congress  assembled: 

The  Memorial  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Ulinos, 
Respectfully  represents: 

That  the  construction  of  a  canal,  uniting  the  waters  of  Lake  Michi¬ 
gan  with  the  Illinois  river,  will  form  an  important  addition  to  the 
great  connecting  links  in  the  chain  of  internal  navigation,  which  will 
effectually  secure  the  indissoluble  union  of  the  confederate  members  of 
this  great  and  powerful  Republic.  By  the  completion  of  this  great  and 
valuable  work,  the  connexion  between  the  North  and  the  South,  the 
East  and  the  West,  would  be  strengthened  by  the  ties  of  commercial  in¬ 
tercourse  and  social  neighborhood;  and  the  union  of  the  States  might  bid 
defiance  to  internal  commotion,  sectional  jealousy,  and  foreign  invasion. 
All  theStates  of  the  Union  would  then  feel  the  most  powerful  motives  to 
resist  every  attempt  at  dissolution.  To  effect  so  great  and  desirable  an 
object,  your  memorialists  believe  to  be  of  sufficient  importance  to  en¬ 
gage  the  attention,  and  awaken  the  munificent  patronage  of  a  Govern¬ 
ment,  whose  principle  of  action  is  the  promotion  of  the  general  welfare. 
Your  memorialists  are  sensibly  alive  to  the  spirit  of  improvement  that 
manifests  itself  in  almost  every  setion  of  our  extensive  country,  and. 
would  fain  lend  a  helping  hand  in  so  great  and  good  a  cause;  their 
situation,  however,  forbids  their  doing  much,  without  the  aid  of  the 
Federal  Government,  into  whose  Treasury  almost  all  the  funds,  whe¬ 
ther  brought  hither  by  emigrants,  or  earned  by  the  industry  of  their 
citizens,  are  paid  for  the  purchase  of  the  public  lands.  While  this 
state  of  things  shall  continue,  and  the  money  thus  paid  into  the  Trea¬ 
sury  of  the  Union  is  taken  out  of  our  State,  our  people  will  not  be  able  to 
engage  in  the  glorious  work  of  improving  our  common  Country.  Ought 
the  people  of  this  State  to  stand  by,  with  folded  arms,  and  behold  the 
great  work  of  internal  improvement  progress  in  other  States,  with¬ 
out  making  an  effort  to  improve  their  own  condition;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  advance  the  interest  of  our  beloved  country?  A  condition 
thus  paralysed  is  at  war,  not  only  with  our  interests,  but  with  the  best 
feelings  of  our  hearts.  Did  this  State  possess  the  public  domain,  ly¬ 
ing  within  its  bounds,  as  is  the  casg  with  the  older  members  of  this 
Confederacy,  your  memorialists  would  not  appear  before  your  honor- 
aide  body  to  solicit  aid  in  this  important  work.  If,  as  your  memorialists 
believe,  the  construction  of  this  canal  would  be  highly  beneficial  to  the 


[49]  4 

Union  at  large;  if  the  receipts  into  the  Treasury  of  the  U.  States  would 
he  augmented,  by  the  increased  sales  of  public  lands;  and  if  the  interest 
of  this  State  would  be,  also,  advanced  thereby,  is  it  unreasonable  to  apply 
to  a  paternal  government  for  assistance  in  the  promotion  of  such  benefi¬ 
cial  ends  ?  It  is  unnecessary  for  your  memorialists  to  enlarge  on  the  great 
advantages  of  this  canal  to  the  Union,  in  the  facilities  to  be  afforded 
in  the  event  of  a  war,  either  with  the  Indian  tribes  inhabiting  our 
frontier,  or  the  British  nation.  Your  honorable  body  is  aware,  that 
this  State  is  situated  on  the  borders  of  an  Indian  country,  filled  with 

w 

numerous  and  powerful  tribes  of  the  sons  of  the  forest.  If  our  coun¬ 
try  should  be  again  engaged  in  war,  the  saving  of  expense  in  the  trans¬ 
portations  of  munitions  of  war  would  alone  defray  the  expense  of  the 
contemplated  canal,  and  justify  the  United  States  in  making  a  liberal 
appropriation  for  its  construction.  Your  memorialists  do  not,  how¬ 
ever,  ask  your  honorable  body  to  appropriate  money  out  of  the  Trea¬ 
sury  to  aid  them  in  this  work.  They  only  ask  for  a  tract  of  land, 
through  which  the  contemplated  canal  may  pass,  and  which,  for  a  se¬ 
ries  of  years,  will  be  wholly  unproductive  to  the  Government,  unless 
the  canal  shall  be  commenced,  under  auspices  favorable  to  its  comple¬ 
tion;  in  which  event  all  the  land  in  the  vicinity  would  immediately 
become  available  to  the  United  States.  Your  memorialists  sincerely 
believe  that  a  liberal  appropriation  of  land,  for  this  object,  would,  even 
in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  be  of  immense  importance  to  the  Treasu¬ 
ry  of  the  Union.  The  public  lands  in  the  vicinity  would  not  only  sell, 
but,  at  a  considerable  advance  upon  the  minimum  price.  Should 
this  opinion  be  correct,  (and  does  not  experience  justify  it  ?)  the  United 
States  would  be  gainers  by  the  proposed  donation  to  the  State.  Your 
memorialists  further  state,  that,  at  their  last  session,  they  passed  an 
act  of  incorporation,  upon  very  liberal  terms,  authorizing  a  company 
to  construct  the  projected  canal;  but  the  remoteness  of  the  country 
from  the  residence  of  capitalists  has  prevented  them  from  engaging  in 
the  work.  At  their  present  session,  your  memorialists  have  repealed  the 
charter;  and,  their  only  hope  of  soon  beginning  the  work,  depends 
upon  the  liberality  of  your  honorable  body.  Your  memorialists  have 
caused  the  route  to  be  explored,  and  estimates  to  be  made  of  the  pro¬ 
bable  expense  of  the  work:  from  which  it  appears,  that  the  costs  of 
constructing  the  canal  will  not  be  less  than  $600,000,  and  may,  possi¬ 
bly,  amount  to  $700,000. 

To  the  end,  therefore,  that  your  memorialists  may  be  enabled  to 
commence  and  complete  this  great  and  useful  work,  we  pray  your  ho¬ 
norable  body  to  grant  to  this  State  the  respective  townships  of  land 
through  which  the  contemplated  canal  may  pass,  the  avails  of  which  to 
be  appropriated  exclusively  to  the  construction  of  said  canal,  upon  such 
terms  and  conditions  as  to  your  honorable  body  may  seem  proper. 

DAVID  BLACKWELL, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives , 

RAPHAEL  WIDEN, 

Speaker  of  the  Senate ,  pro  tenu 


\ 


